Here ’s what the iPhone did n’t do during its first step weekend of sales :
As disappointing as those realities may be — and think you me , that third one causes tears to stream down my not noticeably more handsome face — here ’s something else the iPhone did n’t do during its opening move weekend of sales :
The realness of the situation is this : Apple sold 270,000 iPhones during its fiscal third quarter . More accurately , Apple sell 270,000 iPhones during the 30 hour of its fiscal third quarter in which the mobile sound was actually on the market . Or to put it another means , from 6 p.m. Eastern on June 29 , up until the clock shine midnight to usher in July 1 , 150 people were buy an iPhone every min . Impressive or not , it scarce conjures up image of tumbleweeds blowing through Apple Stores during that opening weekend .
And let ’s consider for a moment who ’s not include in that 270,000 sales form : anyone who wait until Sunday to buy an iPhone ; anyone who decide to wait out the opening weekend crowd and foot up the headphone a week or so after it shipped ; and folks who wanted to learn a review or two before they decided to buy an iPhone . The gross revenue acerate leaf did n’t hit 270,000 and then stop .
Or as NPD director of analytic thinking Ross Rubin told my workfellow Jim Dalrymple , “ This is n’t like a movie where the opening weekend is a strong forecaster of overall success , and it ’s not even like most retail products , ” Rubin said . “ The launching numbers are blunt because of the realities of most consumers consider a new earphone only when their contracts are up . ” Or to put it another way : Apple did not just have one shoot down at sell masses an iPhone . As more consumers ’ live mobile phone - phone declaration go , more of them will consider buying an iPhone — and more than a few probably will .
And yet , somehow , this is considered in some quarters to bedisappointing , presumptively because the one - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. - and - change sales figure flush it to assemble analysts ’ forecasts that were , to be extremely charitable , overly exuberant . Those forecast certainly were n’t based on any public guidance for Apple , which offered no iPhone sale foretelling before this workweek outside of its stated goal to sell 10 million sound in 2008 . Apple is sticking to that target , add the expectation that it will deal its 1 one-millionth iPhone before the final stage of the September quarter . That ’s not the kind of lecture you ’d expect from a company with a dud on its hands .
Something else to regard : While the iPhone has generated near - heroic levels of hype and hoopla , Apple does n’t exactly ask to deal billion upon billion of iPhones right aside . The company ’s core Mac business is doing rather well — this was the good ever quarter for Mac sales in case you did n’t discover — and it ’s also doing a tonic trade in iPod sale despite not coming out with any update music player in well-nigh a year . It ’s the Mac and the iPod that are fuel Apple ’s success correctly now — the iPhone is a courteous , little side business that has the potency to drive growth a little further down the road . Apple is get into the headphone business not out of despair , but out of anticipation — it ’s forward - thinking moves like this that keep a fellowship potent long after the hype machine has moved on to its next whizzy pre - job .
To put it another way , if 270,000 iPhone sales in 30 hour for a business the figure of speech to be a long - term boon for Apple somehow let down you , perhaps the problem is n’t with the iPhone . Maybe it ’s just you .
